Michael Garrison
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Michael Garrison is the president of West Virginia University. A graduate of the WVU class of 1992, Garrison was installed as president in October 2007. He earned a J.D. at WVU in 1996 and taught as an adjunct professor in the university's department of Political Science in the years preceding his appointment as president.[1]
Garrison had been managing member of Spilman Thomas & Battle pllc in Morgantown. He served as chief of staff for former governor Bob Wise and as cabinet secretary in the West Virginia Department of Tax and Revenue.[2] He was also a lobbyist and consultant for Mylan, Inc., a generic pharmaceutical corporation with headquarters in Pittsburgh.[3]
Garrison's selection as president was controversial with the university's faculty; the faculty senate voted no confidence in him in April 2007, before the decision to appoint him.[3] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted concerns about his lack of academic experience and the possibility that his inclusion among the finalists was the result of his political connections.[4][5] In addition to his former West Virginia government posts, Garrison is a "family friend and former business associate" of Heather Bresch, daughter of current West Virginia governor Joe Manchin.[6]
In 2008 Garrison became embroiled in a scandal involving the granting of an MBA degree to Bresch, who had failed to complete the required credits. A panel led by WVU faculty members produced a report on the incident described by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as criticising the university administration for having made "a 'seriously flawed' decision fraught with favoritism."[6] In May 2008 the faculty senate voted 77-19 to call for Garrison's resignation[7] - a demand repeated by a vote (565-39, with 11 abstentions) open to all WVU faculty at a mass meeting a week later.[8]
On June 6,2008, Garrison officially announced he would resign as President of the University effective September 1, 2008. [9] He has been offered the director position on West Virginia Coal Company's board.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ "WVU Committee Narrows Presidential Field to Three", State Journal, 22 March 2007, accessed 2008-04-26
- ^ WVU President's page
- ^ a b Ian Urbina, "University Investigates Whether Governor’s Daughter Earned Degree", New York Times, 22 January 2008, accessed 2008-04-26
- ^ West Virginia U. Ignores Controversy and Picks Garrison as New President, Chronicle of Higher Education, 13 April 2007, accessed 2008-05-06
- ^ Jonathan D. Silver and Eleanor Chute, "Controversy roils search for new WVU president", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1 April 2007, accessed 2008-04-26
- ^ a b Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, "University revokes degree after scathing report on M.B.A. awarded to Bresch", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 24 April 2008, accessed 2008-04-26
- ^ Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, "WVU faculty wants president's ouster", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6 May 2008, accessed 2008-05-06
- ^ Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, "WVU faculty: President Garrison must go", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 14 May 2008, accessed 2008-05-14
- ^ Associated Press, "[1]", Yahoo! News, 06 June 2008, accessed 2008-06-06
